Courtesy Photo Alpena Road Commission trucks groom a road in Alpena County in this undated photo provided by the Road Commission. Having well-maintained roads and streets is key to future development and people wanting to move to the area, economic development officials say.

ALPENA — Northeast Michigan streets near business districts are in better condition than roads in the neighborhoods and other main streets around them, according to state data.

Quality roads may be considered a plus when a developer considers opening a business in an area and subpar roads count as a negative when people look to move to the area and choose a place to live, economic development officials say.

In Rogers City, road conditions have drastically improved in business districts and on heavily used main streets.

Mayor Scott McLlennan said that, about seven years ago, the city conducted a road assessment for every street in the city.

From that, the city crafted a 20-year plan to address road conditions, and the road system has improved significantly because of the execution of that plan.

He said that, when road projects are chosen, the location, amount of traffic flow, and whether any utility work below the street is needed are key factors.

McLennan said roads and even sidewalks have an impact on development, growth, and progress. He said that, if a local government can’t maintain streets or sidewalks, it could make a potential developer wonder if the local government is responsible.

“Streets are part of the equation for developers, as are sidewalks,” he said. “The condition of streets can reflect the health of a community and, if you see bad streets or sidewalks, businesses ask why that is and there could be doubts about development.”

Finding funding to complete road projects is the biggest hurdle local road officials face. County road commissioners depend on federal and state funds to pay for projects and offer matches for projects in townships.

The problem is that streets are deteriorating faster than work can be done, and large-scale investment is needed to bring the roads up to snuff, roads officials say.

Jesse Campbell, Alcona County Road Commission managing director, said Alcona County is lucky because each of the townships in the county have property taxes that allocate money specifically for road improvements.

He said that, before a township proposes road projects, he does a ridealong with township officials to find which roads need work. Sometimes, he said, roads subjected to abuse from tractor-trailers or other heavy vehicles needed for businesses or projects need to be addressed.

He said that, over the last decade, there have been a lot of road improvements in his county. He said that, not long ago, the county would have to close many streets during the spring thaw and impose restrictions, but he said there are few roads now that are impacted that way because they are improved.

“People can just look around and see the improvements,” Campbell said. “I think the road conditions reflect well on the community and could be a factor in whether to invest in the area or not.”

State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, who represents Northeast Michigan in the state House, said roads impact many aspects of a person’s life. He said it impacts commerce and the state government is doing what it can to improve roads, especially in rural areas. He said state laws often limit how many road projects can happen at once, and that has also put municipalities behind the eight-ball for making road improvements.

“Good roads are essential to Michigan’s economy and our quality of life,” Cavitt said. “Whether it is getting kids to school, goods to market, or families safely home, reliable infrastructure impacts everything we do. I wish I could wave a magic wand and fix all of the roads overnight, but the reality is that the state cannot do it all, as only 7.9% of Michigan’s public road network is under the authority of (the Michigan Department of Transportation). Through my work on the Appropriations Committee, I have learned that, logistically, only 10% of roads can be closed in a year without significantly impeding traffic and disrupting emergency vehicle response times. This means that, even if we had unlimited money — which we do not — and unlimited workers — which we are also short on — it would still take a minimum of 10 years to fix all of our roads.”

In Alpena, the downtown area, 2nd Avenue, and Chisholm Street are scored as in good condition by the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council.

A portion of 2nd Avenue beyond the 2nd Avenue Bridge on the north side was rated as poor, but, in 2024, the city completed a large improvement project on that stretch of road and that grade should bounce up when the state issues new grades.

Similarly, the entirety of State Avenue, from downtown until Mason Street, is rated as good condition, but drops to fair condition beyond Mason.

Large sections of 3rd Avenue, outside of downtown, 9th Avenue, 11th Avenue, Johnson Street, and much of Long Rapids Road, which are main arteries for motorists, are graded as poor and in need of maintenance.

Similarly, there is a noticeable dropoff in road conditions where Washington Avenue turns into M-32 at the intersection of M-32 and Bagley Street.

The highway is graded in fair condition in front of Walmart, Meijer, and other nearby businesses, but the highway’s rating drops into poor condition beginning at Walter Street and remains that way until just before the county jail and the airport, when it improves to good condition.

M-32 and U.S.-23 are part of the state trunkline, and local government is not responsible for paying for road projects or maintenance of those highways.

Alpena County Road Commission Managing Director Ryan Brege said that, because of limited funds, the Road Commission needs to be conscious of the road projects it does.

He said that, often, streets in business districts like M-32 and U.S.-23 depend on the state approving and paying for improvements, and those stretches are often in good shape. Brege said the Road Commission focuses on streets still in reasonable condition but beginning to degrade.

“When we select projects, we look at roads that may not be awful now, but are ready to get that way,” he said. “We don’t want to wait until a road is in poor shape and then have to spend more to fix it.”

Brege said he is unsure if road conditions impact growth or development.